Jewel-bearing for watches



(No Model.)

W. W. HASTINGS. JEWEL BEARING FOR WATCHES.

No. 463,625. Patented Nov. 24, 1891;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VALTER I/V. HASTINGS, OF JERSEY CITY, NEIV JERSEY.

JEWEL-BEARING FOR WATCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,625, dated November 24, 1891.

Application filed April 20, 1891. Serial No. 389,570. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER W. HASTINGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vatches, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the bearings for the verge, spindles, or arbors of Watches, clocks, or other time-pieces; and the'object is to construct a simple and cheap bearing in which a jewel or jewel-setting may be readily slipped to position and held without a fastening device, whereby when the watch receives a jar or blow the jewel or j ewel-setting will be pushed from its support, instead of being broken or breaking the pivot of the verge, spindle, or arbor, so that the displaced jewel may be quickly reset and there will be no broken pieces of crystal or steel to penetrate and damage the train.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a balance-cock of a watch formed after my improvement. Fig. 2 is'a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan View of a potance of my improved con-' struction, and Fig. 4 is a vertical section of this potance.

In the views, 1 represents a balance-cook or potanoe for supporting the verge or balancespindle of a watch, clock, or other time-piece, these being the parts in connection with which it is desired to illustrate the improvement as particularly useful, although it is applicable to all bearings which are provided with jewels. The balance-cock or the potance is secured to the plates of the time-piece in any desirable common manner, usually by screws, as shown at a in Fig. 4, and is provided with aseat 2 for the jewel, which may be a perforated crystal, gem, or other stone, as at 5, Figs. 1 and 2, an end stone, or both a perforated and end stone, as is commonly used for the verge of a watch. Of course the jewels may be slipped directly into the seat, or may be provided with a setting which is held in the seat, as desirable. The material of the balance-cock or potance is slitted or provided with a slot 3, that preferably extends through the Walls of the bearing upon both sides of the j ewel-seat, which is made slightly smaller in diameter than the jewel which is to occupy the seat, so that when the jewel is slipped into place the seat will spring together and hold the jewel firmly in place with a frictional grasp which will be firm enough for ordinary purposes, but which, should the watch receive a jar or blow, will allow the jewel to be pushed out without becoming broken or cracked and without breaking the pivot which it bears.

A watch provided with my improvement which receives a shock or blo w heavy enough to disarrange a jewel may be quickly and readily repaired, as the parts will be simply dislocated and not fractured, without expense or damage to any of the delicate mechanism or train, and the construction is cheap, as there are no small screws or screw-holes to be provided.

I claim as my invention 1. In a time-piece, a bearing for a verge, pivot, or arbor having a jewel-seat smaller than the jewel and a jewel-setting frictionally held in said seat, substantially as specified.

2. In a time-piece, a bearing for a verge, pivot, or arbor having a jewel-seat, the material of the bearing being slotted adjacent to the seat, and a jewel-setting held in the seat by the frictional grasp of the sides of the slotted seat, substantially as specified.

WALTER \V. HASTINGS.

\Vitnesses:

S. T. J. Bran, ELMER E. NEAL. 

